Fancy experiencing the thrill of driving a Ferrari, Porsche or Single Seater racing car at speed around one of the worlds greatest racing circuits?
Donington Park Driving Experiences and Driving Day Gift Vouchers available now...
Leon Haslam powers into his ‘home’ Spring Bank Holiday Monday round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park knowing that nothing short of a winning double will suffice if he is to put his title challenge back on course.
The HM Plant Honda rider has still to taste the winner’s champagne and that has left him playing catch-up on former title winner Shane Byrne who has powered his Airwaves Ducati to victory in three of the four races so far.
That puts the pressure on Haslam but he has good memories of his last races at the Leicestershire Grand Prix circuit, having taken a first ever Superbike winning double there.
'It’s my local circuit, just 20 minutes from home, and it is the Grand Prix circuit, so there is always a mega atmosphere there,' said Haslam, adding 'for me it is all the more special after my winning double there last year.'
He knows that strong points are all-important in these races as he battles to overcome a 62 points deficit on the confident Byrne who is using the power and speed of the 1098R Ducati to the full and looking good to regain the crown he last held back in a 2003 season when he won a dozen races.
Adding to the expected front-running duels for supremacy will be Byrne’s team-mate Leon Camier together with James Ellison who is making the most of his return to domestic action with the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda team, having raced in MotoGP and American Superbikes.
Cal Crutchlow faces a race against time to be fit for the races after sustaining ankle injuries during the recent Oulton Park round, with the Coventry rider eager to get back in action to maintain his title challenge, while Tom Sykes riding Rizla Suzuki is long overdue success.
Both Superbike races are on Holiday Monday, but in a big ‘bikers-weekend’ the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid deciding session is on Sunday afternoon, immediately prior to the British round of the World Sidecar Championship in which Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance will be gunning for glory in their efforts to retain the crown.
There is free practice throughout Saturday as everyone prepares for the big raceday on Monday, with Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersports; Relentless British 125GP; Metzeler National Superstock 600 and 1000 Championships, Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup and the Focused Events KTM SuperDuke Battle.
